The Austai Empire
Physiology The Austai stand at almost 12ft, making them one of the taller species within the galaxy. Naturally, the Austai are a jet black to navy blue (this is common in the Deepwater vein), with pinkish or blue eyes and a cobra hood. Ridges lining the back of the lowland, midland, and highland veins are also seen. All six, long fingers and 2 toes are webbed. All veins have a very, very thick and tough skin, and thus a mere knife thrust would not commonly cause much damage. They have blue blood and purple veins. There are four veins of Austai of which only two are very common. The others were killed or natural selection took it's course. The Highland Vein is the most common Austai, with no tail and sharp, white claws. These claws are not made of ivory, rather a material currently unknown to all outside species, as the Austai intend to keep this information. The lowland vein has a 2-3ft long tail, as well as a slightly larger ribcage than the other veins. This vein is also known to have swimming abilities that rival that of the deepwater vein. The midland vein is a vein commonly seen inhabiting thick wetlands and the like, with a tail length of 1-2ft. They barely differ from the Highland vein other than this. The deepwater vein is easily the most different, sporting a navy blue coloring and a large, sharp dorsal fin. The material this fin is made of is also unknown, but it is natural. Also, these Austai have two large gills running down the cheek bones. These replace the nose on the other Austai Veins. Unlike Humans or Tarsin, the Austai are not carnivourous, and instead absorb most of their nutrients directly from the air. Water is absorbed through a "mouth" in the back of the skull. In addition, Austai use a form of echolocation for communication, on a frequency humans cannot hear. Their unique skull shape can be traced back several million years, when the Austai general inhabited the wide oceans of their home planet, Austalij. They are still known to be able to travel great distances underwater. This has allowed them to assault Sarthion system's from the inside out, and also allows for years of scouting before said assaults. History of the Austai Generally defined by the Austai first taking to the air, 0 AIP began a change in the Austai, resulting in the beginning of the Austai Intelligence Period. By 63 AIP, the Austai first took to Space, first reaching their own moon, then beyond, and by 230 AIP the Austai had several settlements. However, in 430 AIP, the sixteen year First Great War ravaged their planet, and at its end, the First Austai Empire rose. This nomadic empire took to space as a way to leave their troubles behind and to avoid future wars. However, time would tell that this effort was futile. Dynasty of Îkai In 433 AIP, Îkai the First rose to power following his democratic vote that would turn not-so-democratic. Reigning for 87 years (Îkai died at age 106, relatively young), Îkai the First was the first nomadic Emperor. His rule created many things that the Austai are just beginning to rediscover today, including Drive Technology. By 489 AIP, Îkai the First’s seven nomadic fleets consisted of 134 Ships and over two billion people. Following his death in 507 AIP, his son Îkai II took power at the age of 23, and would rule for 103 years. Like his father, Îkai II’s rule was capitalized by creation of a huge fleet. By 563 AIP, his nine fleets consisted of 204 ships and 2.2 billion people. Unfortunately, in 564 AIP, it is believe Îkai II’s people were attacked by a plague that ravaged the population, killing at least 400,000 men, women and children. Only in 582 did Îkai II’s medical staff finally create a vaccine that stopped the spread of the disease. In 587 AIP, Îkai II successfully created contact with another intelligent species, however within 1,500 years this organization would become the Austai’s sworn enemies until their destruction in late 1999 AIP. In 599, Îkai II’s trade with these people reached a climax. By his death in 610, these people, the Aèkz were over 12 billion Brkâk in debt. In 612 AIP, Îkai III was killed in an ‘accident’, however it is now believed his high council committed murder over his reluctance to attack the Aèkz over their debts. Dynasty of Aèod After a short bout of power struggles, Aèod the Merciless took power in 623 AIP by force. He quickly reconsolidated the nomad forces for a brutal attack against the Aèkz in 624 AIP, and in 627, he launched in attack. The Aèkz were caught off guard and by 643 AIP, were mostly destroyed and spread around the galaxy. Aèod the Merciless took this as a surrender, the Aèkz did not. Despite this, by his death in 728 AIP, Aèod the Merciless had amassed a nomad fleet of 24 fleets, with over 500 ships, and a population of 3.1 Billion. His son, Aèod II, took over in 728 at the age of 24. His reign was exceedingly boring, with little to note over the 114 years he was in power. The Golden Age Classified as the time between 820 AIP - 2004 AIP, the Golden Age resulted in several advances in Austai technology that significantly benefited Space Flight, Space Travel, and nomadic civilizations in the years to come. The first of these was an improvement on Drive Technology. Called the Mk 14 Drive System, the improvement protected it’s users from vast amounts of radiation. Although not common on civilian ships until the latter part of the 20th Century AIP, the Mk 14 system is credited with saving many lives on board warships since it’s inception in the early 11th Century AIP. The next was the presence of better Artificial Gravity over the Handwavium used up until 1500 AIP. This allowed for better defense of the ship in the event of an enemy attack. This research had begun shortly after the Debt War from 627-643, but several setbacks were seen, mainly monetarily. Finally, the first native Austalij Plant was Genetically Engineered in 1200 to become a “super plant”. The super plant was able to grow quicker and under less hospitable conditions. Then, in 1300, the first animal clones were created. The results were massive food banks that would serve the Austai well after the technology’s rediscovery following the Beacon Cataclysm. Beacon Cataclysm and Second Great War In 2004 AIP, the Austai began their return to Austalij, which by this time had re-flourished. However, they realized their mistake too late. In 2200 AIP, the Austai War Machine was run by at least 60% machines. Following the Beacon Cataclysm, the machines launched the Second Great War against the empire. With their documents warped by the Virus, at war’s end in 2309, The Austai were only able to recover a handful of important documents, mainly plasma weaponry, space flight, Mk 10 Drive Technology, and Genetic Engineering. The survivors, which only included 600 million Austai, a fleet of 340 Nomadic Ships and 200 Warships, were able to destroy the machines in 2309 by using a orbital Nuclear Strike, or EMP. The results were devastating, downing all un-biological lifeforms for an eternity. To date, Austalij has not been revisited, although it is orbited by a ring that houses several thousand scientists and their families. Recovery Age Generally classified as the time period between 2410 AIP - 11340 AIP, the recovery took over 9000 years. The recovery was slow and featured many setbacks, including a Second, Third, and Fourth Debt Wars, alongside many cyber attacks against the now permanently nomadic civilization. The Age of Military Might In 11340, following the creation of a strong Imperial Navy, the Coalition gave the Austai a nice contract. Under it, they were allowed to have their Nomad Shipping roaming anywhere in the deep parts of the Coalition, where they were safe, while the IAO patrolled against raiding Sarthion ships. However, after an especially severe failure in 11358, the Coalition Imperial Navy attacked an unguarded nomad fleet in Coalition space. The fleet was completely destroyed save for one replenishment ship, and as a result the entire IAO and their Nomad Fleets darted away to their outposts hidden around the galaxy. Two years later, in 11360, the Sarthion contacted the IAO. Despite a somewhat turbulent past, the Sarthion and IAO contract would last,off and on, until 13378. In 13378, a Sarthion rogue fleet fired at the 3rd Nomad Fleet. This was a huge mistake. Unbeknownst to the Sarthion, they messed with the wrong unit of Marines. The 234th Mârôlîôle Battalion had been tasked the 3rd Fleet in early 13377, following a short stay at Forward Operating Base Tatris V. During this stay, the Battalion was outfitted with Râôlaèerk Hardsuits Mk. III. Unlike the previous versions, the newest Mk III could conduct “space jumps”, a highly dangerous boarding technique. At the time of the attack, an extra detachment of 30 more Mk IIIs was onboard AKI Dâwôl oe Ktomkzmorôl, a battleship. The ship rammed one of the six hostile battleships, offloading it’s load of 260 Hardsuits directly onto the side of the ship. The results of the 260 Hardsuits on the enemy battleship was disastrous, allowing the Marines to roll right over any Sarthion opposition. War of Tomorrow In 13489, the Galaxy is in turmoil. The war on the UNE raging on one side, and the War on the Sarthion raging on the other, the Austai have been reinstated as the protectors of the Coalition frontier, often running long campaigns against the Sarthion. However, while not necessarily at war with the UNE, it is not unheard of for a ghost fleet of Austai warships to conduct scouting operations in UNE Space should they be called upon by the Coalition to assist. Warfighting Unlike the Tarsin, the Austai have a very "savage" way of warfighting, as some Tarsin would put it. The Austai generally consider woman and children as "combatants", and shoot to kill. Their reasoning, above all else, is that these people contribute to the war effort by giving pleasure to the warfighters. Also, the Austai are known to be five times the strength of a Sarthion, even with bodily changes. Also, the Austai's unique biological make up means they cannot be starved. Tactically, the Austai have a strategy known to them as "Stealth". As a result of honing such warfighting strategies and tactics for thousands of years, the Austai are not only amazing at hiding themselves, but also their possessions. One such example was the Blastlij III Campaign in the Summer of 13454, when the Sarthion stumbled upon information on the Austai Navy's whereabouts, only to arrive and found it had raided within Sarthim Space, destroying several civilian fleets and a reserve navy fleet. Government The Austai government has two branches, the High Council and the Low Council. The High Council is made up of 14 Officials (1 per fleet), all of whom must be at least 65 years of age. The High Council's chair is the leader of the Austai Government, known as the Chancellor. The current Chancellor, Chancellor Ikril, is 103 years old. All government positions are served until death. The Low Council has 52 Officials (4/fleet), plus four Service heads (Navy, Marine, Army, Colonial Command). All officials serve until death in this case,as well. However, the Supreme Council governs both land outposts and space fleets, made up of 6 100 Year old males. Of course, all councils are led by the Emperor. Outposts and Cities Spread throughout the galaxy, the Austai outposts are generally located in Uncharted poritions of space both within the UNE, Coalition, Sarthion, and Lost Realms. The Empire does not reveal locations to their allies, for obvious reasons. The Sarthim have recorded Austai Battleship Fleets literally appearing in the middle of their civilization overnight, off the grid one night, and firing on their homes the next morning. The outposts are generally crewed by 1,000-2,000 people, mostly civilians that are families to the Imperial Navy Men and Women. However, the largest outpost has a population of 102,300 people, however this such outpost crews 7 battleship rifts. Although originally considered an outpost, the recently reinhabited Austalij is considered a residency, and has a population of 2.6 million on it's surface, with an additional 1 million on her 3 moons. Spoken Language The Spoken and Written Language of the Austai contains 12 constonants and 7 vowels. Not much is currently known about this language, however a rough table does exist.